Straddle or gang plow.



8 wuanto'n de: 60 7c PATENTED JUNE 18, 1907.

R. G) HENDERSON. STRADDLB 0R GANG PLOW.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO 14 1906 %ihwooo No. 857,061. PATBNTBD JUNE 18, 1907, R. C. HENDERSON. STRADDLE OR GANG PLOW.

APPLIOATION FILED DEO.14. 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

2/91 blesses Gnome PATENTED JUNE 18, 1907.

R. O. HENDERSON.

STRADDLE 0R GANG PLOW.

APPLIOAIION FILED DEO.14. 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

S TRADDLE OR GANG PLOW.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 18, 1907.

Application filed ce 14, 1906. Serial No. 347,882-

To (ti/Z whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUFUS C. HENDERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kankakee, in the county of Kankakee and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Straddle or Gang Plows, of which the following is a specification.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction and the means for effecting the result, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved plow'; Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of a yoke employed connecting the cross bar with the plow beam, to the tongue of the plow; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of my improved plow; Fig. at is a detail perspective view illustrating a portion of the front cross bar for the plow beams and some of its related parts; Fig. 5 is a detail view illustrating the lever mechanism; Fig. 6 is a detail perspective View of a portion of the lever and its two locking detents and quadrants.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the tongue of my improved plow which is provided at its rear end and at opposite sides thereof with two vertically extending sleeves 2. In the said sleeves ver tically extending stub shafts 3 are journaled to turn about their longitudinal axis and at the lower end of the shaft 3 rear traveling wheels 1 are journaled. Latch pins 5 are curled around the sleeves 2 and are designed to enter said sleeves from the rear thereof, so as to move into engagement with grooves 6 in the shafts 3. This will prevent said shaft from turning under normal conditions although permitting the shafts to raise and descend within their bearing sleeves 2. Springs 7 encircle the pins 5 and exert a tension thereon to move the curved ends of the pins into the grooves 6 and to retract said pins, I provide foot levers S that are fulcrurned inter-mediate of their ends at opposite sides of the tongues as indicated at 9 and are adapted to be pressed upon by the foot of the operator who is supported by the seat 10. It is obvious that when the levers S are actuated the pins 5 are withdrawn and then the wheels 4 may turn so that the entire plow 1 may be turned around readily. In advance of the rear traveling wheels 1, the tongue 1 is provided at opposite sides with guide pins 11 which are accommodated in curved slots 12 in the opposite side members of the yoke 13 which embraces the tongue as shown and is adapted to move upwardly and rearwardly thereon or downwardly and forwardly, being guided by the pins 11. The lower ends of the side members of the yoke 13 are secured to a cross bar 14 extending in opposite directions on both sides of the tongue and to the ends of this cross bar 1 1 vertical sleeves 15 are secured. Within the sleeves 15 stub shafts 16 are mounted to move both axially and up and down, and on the lower end of these stub shafts front traveling wheels 17 are journaled. The shafts 16 are grooved vertically as indicated at 18, and like the rear shafts 3 and latch pins 19, are spring pressed into engagement with the grooves 18 and extend through the sleeves 15 as shown, so as to prevent the shafts from turning axially without interfering in no wise with the up and down movement of the sleeves 15 with respect to the shafts. The latch pins 19 are pivotally carried on the curved outer ends 20 of actuating rods 21 that are journaled, as shown in Fig. 1, on the cross bar 14 and are provided at their inner ends with foot pieces 22.

When the plow is running straight, the pins 19 are in engagement with the grooved shaft 16 and the pins 5 are in engagement with the grooves 6 of the rear shafts 3. When it is desired to turn the plow around a corner, the operator will press his feet against the foot pieces 22 and levers 8, either one set or both sets, so that the pins 19 and 5 will be retracted and the shafts 16 and 3 permitted to turn Within their bearings 15 and 2.

The cross bar let is rigidly secured to the front ends of the plow beams or draw bars 23, and 24 designates the plows which may be of any desired construction and which are carried on the rear ends of the beams.

In order to raise and lower the plow out of and into operative engagement with the ground, I have provided the following mechanism: The tongue 1 is provided between the cross bar 1 1 and its rear end, with a longitudinal slot 1. A lever 25 extends down through this slot and is j ournaled at its lower elbow 26 in a depending hanger 27 as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The lever 25 is in effect a bell crank lever and one of its arms is forked so as to form 2 spaced apart members 28 that extend forwardly and are slotted as indicated at 29 at their extremities, said slotted extremities engaging the cross bar 14. In the rear of their front ends, the plow beams 23 are connected to vertically upwardly extending hangers 30 which are secured to a transversely extending crank shaft 31 journaled in its rearwardly extending supporting arms 32 at the rear of the tongue 1. Rigidly secured to this shaft 31 to rock the same are two angular arms 33 which extend upwardly and rearwardly in an inclined direction and thence forwardly in an inclined direction, and which are secured in their upper front ends to the rear ends of the links 34. These links which are two in number extend forwardly and have their other ends connected to a cross bar 35 pivotally connected to the lever 25 above the tongue and therefore above th fulcrum point of the lever. I

Whenever the lever 25 is moved to the left as the plow is viewed in Fig. 3, it is manifest that the fork 28 will be depressed and that the cross bar 14 will be moved downwardly while at the same time, the shaft 31 will be rocked so as to carry its-cranks downwardly, hence the plow beams 23 will be moved downwardly as a whole and carry the plows 24 into operative engagement with the ground. Conversely, an opposite movement of the lever 25 will raise all of the plow beams or draw bars and carry the plows 24 into an upper inoperative position.

It is to be understood that when the plow beams are raised, the entire tongue 1 and all the sleeves 15 and 2 rise together, the grooved stub shafts 16 and 3 permitting this movement.

It is obvious that plows of various sizes and of difierent members may be employed with my improved construction of plow and with side hitches as well as the direct draft from the tongue, may be used. v

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A plow comprising a wheel supported.

its ends with vertical sleeves, shafts mounted l to slide vertically in said sleeves, traveling wheels journaled on said shaft, draw bars connected to said cross bar and provided with cultivating devices, a crank shaft j ournaled in the tongue in the rear of said cross bar and operatively connected to said draw bars, the tongue being provided with a depending hanger and a bell crank lever fulcrumed on said hanger and pivotally connected to said crank shaft above its fulcrum, one arm of the bell crank below its fulcrum being connected to the cross bar, and a slotted guide secured to said cross bar.

2. In a plow the combination of a wheel supported tongue, a cross bar provided with a yoke encircling said tongue and movable vertically with respect to the same, the cross bar being provided at its ends with vertical sleeves, wheel supported shafts mounted to slide vertically in said sleeves and also mounted to turn in the sleeves about their longitudinal axes, draw bars connected to said crossbar and provided with cultivating devices, means for raising and lowering the cross bar and draw bars, and means for holding said shafts as against their rotary or axial movement. p

3. In a plow the combination of a wheel supported tongue, a cross bar provided with a yoke encircling said tongue and movable vertically with respect to the same, the cross bar being provided at its ends with vertical sleeves, wheel supporting shafts mounted to slide vertically in said sleeves and also mounted to turn in the sleeves about their longitudinal axes, draw bars connected to said cross bar and provided with cultivating devices, means for raising and lowering the cross bar and draw bars, and means for holding said shafts as against their rotary or axial movements, said last named means consisting of latch pins working through the sleeves, foot operating rock shafts connected to said latch pins to withdraw the same, and springs for moving said pins in one direction, the vertical shafts being provided with grooves adapted to receive said pins.

4:. In a plow, the combination of a wheel supported tongue, a cross bar having a vertical sliding connection with the tongue, draw bars connected to said cross bar and provided with cultivating devices, means for raising and lowering the cross bar and draw bars,

traveling wheels provided with shafts having a sliding connection with portions of the cross bar and mounted to turn axially, and means for limiting said shafts as against said axial movements.

5. In a plow, the combination of a supporting tongue, a cross bar operatively connected thereto, draw bars connected to said cross bar and provided with cultivating devices, the cross bar being provided at its ends with sleeves, shafts mounted to turn in said sleeve, wheels journaled at the lower ends of said shafts, latch pins adapted for engagement with said shafts to prevent the same from turning, and means for withdrawing said latch pins.

6. In a plow, the combination of a tongue provided with vertical sleeves at its rear end, shafts mounted to turn 'in said sleeves, traveling wheels connected to said shafts, latch pins adapted to hold said shaft from turning in the sleeves, means for withdrawing said latch pins, a cross bar connected to said tongue, and provided at its ends with sleeves, shafts provided with traveling wheels and mounted to turn in the sleeves of the cross bar, latch pins adapted to engage said last named shafts to prevent them from turning,

and means for witl'idrawing said last named latch pin.

7. A plow comprising a tongue, traveling wheels upon which said tongue is mounted at its rear end and with respect to which it is adjusted vertically, a cross bar provided with a yoke encircling said tongue and adapted to move vertically with respect to the latter, and a traveling wheel adapted to support the outer end of said cross bar, draw bars secured to and extending from said cross bar and provided at their rear end with cultivating de vices, a bell crank handle lever fulcrumed at a point underneath the tongue and extending to a point above the tongue, and a hanger secured to the tongue and onlfwhichithe lever is fulcrumed, the lower end of said lever extending forwardly and provided with spaced apart members secured to the cross bar, a crank shaft operatively connected to the rear ends of the draw bars and mounted to rock on the rear end of the tongue, arms 33 connected to said shaft to rock the same, and cross bars carried by the lever above the tongue, and links connecting said last named cross bar to the arms 33.

In testimony whereof I a'llix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RUFUS C. HENDERSON. lVitnesses:

E. C. HAMILTON, M. F. BAKER. 

